According to a FanDuel announcement, the company will no longer offer paid or free Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) contests in the Canadian province of Ontario.
Starting on April 1st, all DFS products and services will no longer be available to Ontarians due to ‘changes in government regulations’. However, the announcement does go on to say that the company’s DFS players in other Canadian provinces will not be affected by this decision.
The statement reads as follows:
Due to a change in government regulations, FanDuel will not be able to offer paid or free daily fantasy contests in the province of Ontario starting on April 1st.
Ontario residents can participate in daily fantasy contests while physically located in other provinces and within US states where daily fantasy is permitted. Additionally, Ontario residents will be able to utilize the FanDuel Sportsbook and Casino products launching in Ontario beginning April 4th.
All entries submitted prior to April 1st will run as normal and any winnings are fully eligible for withdrawal. Any tickets and Championship League entries won or entered on or prior to April 1st will also run as normal.
Since iGaming was legalized in Ontario, the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) has been tasked with creating a framework for industry regulation. And while FanDuel has operated legally within the province for quite some time, the new iGaming regulations are believed to be prohibitive as they explicitly forbid shared liquidity with other jurisdictions. This means that DFS contests in Ontario will be ring-fenced with only players from the province contributing to the pool. This would result in smaller player pools and, as a result smaller prizes.
FanDuel’s DFS products have been available in Ontario since 2012 with tens of thousands of local sports fans registered on the platform. Its biggest competitor DraftKings is also active in the state but has yet to make an announcement regarding its own products and services.
At present, 16 iGaming operators have been approved for launch by the AGCO. However, that number is expected to grow to around 30 when the industry launches on April 4th, 2022.
An experienced iGaming commentator and analyst based in New York City - Jenny reports on regulation and gambling industry news and events.